| Hello, *|NOME|* Expanding full-time education has been a goal of the country. Goal 6 of the National Education Plan 2014-2024 (Law No. 13,005/2014) established the provision of full-time education in 50% of schools, serving 25% of students. Piauí has achieved this goal and is moving towards the universalization of this modality, currently present in 70% of the state network.
There is a lot of evidence in the literature that full-time education brings positive results for children and young people, including improved school performance. In Pernambuco, for example, between 2010 and 2014 the grades of high school students increased by 22% and 19% of one standard deviation in Mathematics and Portuguese Language, respectively, with greater benefits for those who started high school at the correct age. In São Paulo, the effect was an increase of 46% and 36% of a standard deviation in the same subjects, in standardized state exams applied in the 3rd year, still within the time horizon of 1 to 5 years after adoption. This and other evidence on the expansion of full-time high school education was summarized in more detail on the Impact Platform and can be accessed [here].
In April of this year, IMDS formalized a Technical Cooperation Agreement (TCA) with the Government of the State of Piauí, through the Secretariat of Planning (SEPLAN-PI), for the preparation of a Public Policy Evaluation Model. The institute prepared the first work plan for the implementation of an evaluation on the expansion of full-time secondary education. The main objective is to identify the impact of the expansion of full-time education on student performance in Mathematics and Portuguese Language. In addition, the study seeks to answer whether the implementation was accompanied by a reduction in educational inequalities, such as those between students from different social classes or between boys and girls; how these effects vary according to the profile of the students, considering factors such as school performance and socioeconomic characteristics; and to identify which components of the full-time education model in Piauí are most associated with these results. Last week, the IMDS technical team was in Piauí to start the activities. The Secretary of State for Planning, Washington Bonfim, highlighted: "For SEPLAN, it is a project that gives rise to our area of public policy impact assessment", highlighting the relevance of the partnership for the work being conducted by the Department of Education (SEDUC) for the expansion of full-time high school in the state [Watch the video here]. Secretary Washington Bandeira, from SEDUC, also highlighted the importance of the work: "we are happy and excited about the partnership with IMDS for the analysis of data and results of our program for the universalization of full-time education". [Watch the video here]. During the visit, the IMDS technical team conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with SEDUC actors with the objective of understanding the process of implementing the program, the incorporation of the New High School curriculum and the selection of participating schools, as well as the structural and operational adaptations necessary for the operation of the model. Full-time has been implemented as a key strategy to improve student training, focusing on curricular subjects and innovative areas such as artificial intelligence, financial education and entrepreneurship. The actions are conducted with a strategic look, considering the regional particularities and the economic vocations of the state. Investment in school infrastructure was a recurring theme. The government has been dedicated to improving the physical conditions of educational institutions, with the creation of innovation and technology laboratories, as well as adaptations to ensure that schools are prepared to meet the comprehensive model. In this regard, particular attention should be given to technical-professional education, which was also widely discussed. There have been significant advances in the integration of technical-vocational education with secondary education, offering students the opportunity to develop skills aligned with the demands of the labor market. Challenges, however, persist, such as the adequacy of infrastructure and the training of teachers to meet the specific needs of more technical courses. A fundamental aspect mentioned during the interviews was the "Management for Learning", a program that stands out for its systematic focus on the continuous monitoring of school performance, and which involves teacher training, student evaluation and pedagogical monitoring, structured in an integrated way to ensure continuous improvement in educational results. The articulation between regional managements and schools is highlighted, enabling quick and assertive interventions based on the data collected. The interviews also showed the concern with students' learning recomposition. Initiatives aimed at recovering educational gaps in Portuguese Language, Mathematics and Physics were described, with specific weekly training for teachers, who receive structured materials and lesson plans focused on correcting the learning gaps identified in student evaluations. Understanding the components of the program is essential to support future decisions, especially in the context of the search for the universalization of this model. This expansion involves increasing the workload, introducing new subjects, investing in infrastructure, training teachers, and efficient school management. Identifying all aspects of the program and its implementation is critical to the design of the evaluation identification strategy. The next stage consists of a critical review of the specialized literature, whose objective is to summarize the general characteristics of the experiences of implementing full-time high school, with emphasis on the elements present in successful cases. Next, a comparison will be made between the different models already evaluated in the literature and the model adopted in Piauí. This analysis will allow us to understand, in the light of the literature, how the similarities and differences between the models can be related to the results obtained in each context. Until the next "IMDS Letter”! Paulo Tafner CEO |
